North East alcohol awareness programme welcomes new road safety strategy
Balance has called for this reform for many years
A North East and Teesside alcohol awareness programme has welcomed plans to lower the drink drive limit in England and Wales as part of the new national Road Safety Strategy published earlier this week.
Balance and numerous organisations have also called for this reform, including the British Medical Association, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, road safety charity Brake, the Royal College of Physicians, and many public health organisations.
Latest Department for Transport road casualty figures show drink driving incidents account for nearly 1 in 5 (17%) deaths on the roads.
It also showed:
- In 2022, between 290 and 320 people were killed in collisions in Great Britain where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit – the highest reported level in more than a decade
- Overall, an estimated 6,800 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “Too many people are dying and being injured on our roads because of alcohol. This also places a massive strain on our emergency crews, who have to deal with horrific accidents and tell families that a loved one won’t ever be coming home.
“Lowering the limit won’t prevent every accident but it will provide more clarity and leave less room for people to wrongly believe they can have a couple of drinks and still be OK.
“England’s approach to alcohol and our roads now looks outdated compared to the rest of Europe. Cutting the limit would send a clear message, deter more drivers from getting behind the wheel after a few drinks or the morning after, and support our emergency services who deal with serious crashes on a daily basis.”
She added: “But the problem is wider – alcohol is too cheap, too widely promoted and too available. The Government must pay no heed to the arguments against this by the alcohol industry. We need a new national strategy to tackle all aspects of alcohol harm and look at solutions for its impact on lives, health and public safety.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham and Darlington, Joy Allen, said:
“Drink and drug driving are among the most dangerous behaviours on our roads. The statistics are stark and the harm is entirely preventable. Driving under the influence puts innocent lives at risk, devastates families and places huge pressure on the police, the NHS and emergency services. This is behaviour society cannot and should not be tolerated.
“That is why I welcome moves to lower the drink-drive limit and strengthen action on drug driving. But these measures will only work if they are backed by proper funding for enforcement and education campaigns. Laws alone do not save lives – enforcement and prevention do.”
Balance says England and Wales and Northern Ireland (which is currently legislating lower limits) have the highest Blood Alcohol Limits in all of Europe at 80mg/100ml (or 0.08%). But drivers are six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they have 50-80 mg alcohol per 100ml blood, compared to 0ml 4.
When Scotland reduced its limit in 2014, police figures showed an immediate decrease in drink drive offences. It also led to greater anti-drink driving sentiment and more support for the reduction.